Uses
Vast forests of Longleaf Pine once were present along the southeastern Atlantic coast and Gulf Coast of North America, as part of the eastern savannas. These forests were the source of naval stores - resin, turpentine, and timber - needed by merchants and the navy for their ships. They have been cutover since for timber and usually replaced with faster-growing Loblolly Pine and Slash Pine, for agriculture, and for urban and suburban development. Due to this deforestation and over-harvesting, only about 3% of the original Longleaf Pine forest remains, and little new is planted. Longleaf Pine is available, however, at many nurseries within its range; the southernmost known point of sale is in Lake Worth, Florida.
The yellow, resinous wood is used for lumber and pulp. Boards cut years ago from virgin timber were very wide, up to 1 m (3.3 ft), and a thriving salvage business obtains these boards from demolition projects to be reused as flooring in upscale homes.
The extremely long needles are popular for use in the ancient craft of coiled basket making.
The stumps and taproots of old trees become saturated with resin and will not rot. Farmers sometimes find old buried stumps in fields, even in some that were cleared a century ago, and these usually are dug up and sold as Fatwood, "fat lighter" or "lighter wood" which is in demand as kindling for fireplaces, wood stoves, and barbecue pits. In old growth pine the heartwood of the bole is often saturated in the same way. When boards are cut from the fat lighter wood, they are very heavy and will not rot, but buildings constructed of them are quite flammable and make extremely hot fires.
The Longleaf Pine is the official state tree of Alabama. North Carolina's state tree is the pine tree generally and the Longleaf Pine specifically is lauded in the official state toast.
Read more about this topic: Pinus Palustris